The National Weather Service says five tornadoes touched down in metro Atlanta as part of the weather system that came through the state Tuesday.
NWS officials Tuesday afternoon announced that an EF-1 tornado touched down in Alpharetta, which caused damage in several areas, while an EF-0 tornado was responsible for damage on the west side of East Point.
Since then, meteorologists have identified three other tornadoes—an EF-1 in Fulton and east Cobb counties, and EF-0 tornadoes in Vinings and the Camp Creek Parkway area, according to Carly Kovacik, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.
The Enhanced Fujita scale, or EF scale, rates tornadoes based on estimated wind speeds and related damage. A tornado with wind speeds of 65 to 85 mph are typically rated at EF-0, while an EF-1 usually indicates speeds of 86 to 110 mph.
The highest rating is EF-5, reserved for tornadoes with winds greater than 200 mph.
Kovacik says tornadoes are not uncommon in October, a month typically deemed to be a part of a secondary severe weather season. She added that the tornadoes weren’t a surprise for meteorologists, as the weather conditions they saw with the system commonly create tornadoes.
“These systems usually create weak tornadoes along the line,” she said. “As we got closer to the [weather] event, it was evident that the ingredients were there.”
Residents of the metro counties weren’t the only ones in Georgia to see tornadic activity on Tuesday. Kovacik said NWS officials are still nailing down details of a tornado that touched down and caused some damage in Meriwether and Talbot counties, but the twister is believed to have been no stronger than an EF-1.
It is possible that more tornadoes touched down in the state Tuesday, Kovacik added, but NWS officials have not received any reports of damage that would indicate they did.
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